SSE has begun work on a hydrogen facility in Yorkshire that will produce and store the fuel, unlocking spare capacity to deal with future UK energy shortfalls.
Based at the existing Aldbrough gas storage site, the hydrogen facility will see green hydrogen made in a 35MW electrolyser and stored in a converted salt cavern, hopefully by 2025, according to SSE Thermal, the firm’s carbon capture and hydrogen technology wing.
A fully hydrogen powered turbine would see the facility supply electricity during times of national shortages.
“This ambitious project […] represents an important part of SSE Thermal’s wider plans to decarbonise the UK’s most carbon-intensive industrial cluster,” said managing director, Catherine Raw.
Bringing “together production, storage and power generation in one location” will “showcase” electrolytic hydrogen, she added.
???? @ssethermal is developing a first-of-a-kind project to unite hydrogen production, storage & power generation in one location.
The Aldbrough Hydrogen Pathfinder project will support the evidence base for wider deployment of flexible #HydrogenPower in the UK’s #NetZero journey.
— SSE PLC (LSE:SSE) (@SSE) December 19, 2022
Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water atoms via electrolysis using renewable energy, making it the cleanest form of the fuel.
Experts have suggested that building new energy storage is vital for the UK, with last week’s near use of two Drax coal-fired power stations blamed on a lack of gas capacity by some commentators.